What Does Kill Bed Bugs?

Before we get into Lysol as a bed bug killer, let's first take a look at what people normally use.

The main eliminators of bed bugs are pesticides and heat (think steamers).

Heat is one of the most effective treatments against these pests because they cannot develop a resistance to it. Excessive heat, such as raising a building's temperature to 130 or 140 degrees Fahrenheit, is an unlivable condition for most bed bugs.

Pesticides are chemicals specifically designed to kill pests. Scientists formulated several different products to kill bed bugs that continue to be used today.

For more information and our strategies to kill bed bugs, we recommend checking out our in-depth removal guide.

Does Lysol Kill Bed Bugs?

Now that we've covered what most experts use, lets breakdown if Lysol can actually kill bed bugs.

Ingredients in Lysol

Because Lysol is registered as a cleaning product, many of its active ingredients are public knowledge. However, different products - such as sprays or wipes - use varying ingredients. Some of the most common elements of Lysol include:

Ethanol

Isopropyl Alcohol

Lactic Acid

Hydrogen Peroxide

Many of these ingredients are disinfectants and sanitizing agents. While they are effective against bacteria and germs, they are not good at attracting and killing insects like bed bugs. They are toxic when ingested, but bed bugs would never be enticed enough to try and eat it therefore it would be ineffective.

In the basic sense, it's a matter of designated function.

Because Lysol is meant to sanitize and clean, it doesn't work well as a killing agent. Similarly, pyrethroids do not work as cleaners because their primary purpose is to eliminate.

Final Thoughts on Lysol for Bed bugs

Lysol will only be effective against bed bugs if you smother them in the cleaning product. This would mean spraying the pests directly, which is difficult because they avoid humans as much as possible.